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I believe you find life such a problem because you think there are the good people and the bad people. You are wrong, of course. There are, always and only, the bad people, but some of them are on opposite sides.

They didn't know the giant evil threat was coming. Meaning they did that to children to fight off what amounts to a domestic revolt.

Sorry. But I do plan to target many elements of the UNSC. Some things cannnot be forgiven.

Plus, it'll be a challenge.

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I believe you find life such a problem because you think there are the good people and the bad people. You are wrong, of course. There are, always and only, the bad people, but some of them are on opposite sides.

You are of course free to target them. But I'm willing to forgive the Spartan-II program because, in the end, it saved the human race. Irony, and perhaps the need for some evil to make the way for good, but...

I can't despise people who saved the human race, even if the means were ridiculous. Plus Halsey was always kind and motherly to the II's.

I do like that aspect of the story, though. Makes things less black and white.

And getting to Halsey is not easy. This takes off from Halo 4, so she's in the captivity of Jul Mdama.

I find, that as the size of an explosion increases, the amount of ethical problems it cannot solve approaches zero at a rapid rate.

0

I believe you find life such a problem because you think there are the good people and the bad people. You are wrong, of course. There are, always and only, the bad people, but some of them are on opposite sides.

Academy City from the Toaru-verse and all the generic espers within don't really get much attention unless they're protagonists, which makes the place ripe for amusing RPing and magical science-powered students killing each other over random things. I mean, with Skill-Out and Anti-Skill and the like, there's a lot of things that one can do in the city.

Though the entire Halo universe is in existence, along with any locations that are made up for the purpose of the game's story, a few locations stand out. These locations are, while important, liable to being destroyed or changed. Likewise, this list will end up with locations added or removed.

Other locations known to exist can be used, within realism. Human colonies, Covenant homeworlds, other ships, discovered Halo Installations and Forerunner planets that are within your character's realistic ability to reach are all fair game. This list is for places with great significance in the game's storyline.

Earth: We all know what Earth is, so all that needs to be explained is what is on it. Earth is still rebuilding after the war, but has made great progress. It is overseen and governed by the UNSC, as with all major human locations.

After the attack on New Pheonix by the Didact, the general population is on edge. Civilians know little of the details of the conflict, and it is infested with ONI cover-ups and secrecy. Former Covenant species live on Earth in small numbers, in their own sections as refugees. Some are peaceful, while others, like a certain Sangheili who attempted to detonate a HAVOK nuke in Rio de Janeiro, do their best to cause trouble. The landmasses, oceans, islands, and cities are much the same in terms of name and location.

Aside from occasional trouble, Earth has not seen much trouble, but this is mainly due to the heavy defenses around it. Enemies of humanity would jump at the slightest chance to strike, and always are prepared to do so.

Sanghelios: The Elite homeworld is a center of conflict. It is much like Earth in terms of nature, but has many Forerunner artifacts and structures scattered around it. These, however, are not the main concern of those who inhabit it.

Warships in endless conflict fly around the planet, while on the ground, Elites battle for honor, control, and power. The Arbiter seeks to unite the population and stand as an ally of humanity, but more than half the Elites disagree. While the main and most powerful Covenant remnant, under the leadership of Jul 'Mdama, has other priorities, many other factions remain. Constantly busy with the war, the Arbiter remains here for the moment to fight both the physical and political battle, nearly unable to assist or even keep in touch with the UNSC.

UNSC Infinity: The massive capital ship of the UNSC, under the command of Captain Thomas Lasky. It was made after the war as an exploration vessel, but has been repurposed for war. It has many Forerunner items incorporated into it, notably the engines. It has many laboratories, vehicle bays, barracks, the War Games training simulation facilities, armories, supplies, and other decks for various purposes. The weapons that Spartans can enter battle with are diverse, because the Infinity holds many Covenant and Forerunner weapons kept for study and use. It holds many frigates, which it can deploy in battle. Various weapons are found all over the outside of the ship for space combat, but its main laser battery at the front is powerful enough to blast a hole into a Forerunner capital ship.

UNSC soldiers and doctors all stay on the Infinity, ready to work and be deployed. While the heart of UNSC military might was once Reach, it is now the Infinity, which is much more practical due to its being a massive ship.

The Infinity is now a primary target of Jul 'Mdama's forces, because the other half of the Janus Key, a Forerunner artifact that reveals a map to all Forerunner technology in the galaxy, is on board.

Didact's Vengeance: A CAS-class assault carrier, and Jul 'Mdama's personal ship. While it differs little from other ships of its classification, it is considered the Covenant main ship, and what is on board sets it apart from the rest.

It holds the most troops and supplies, along with a huge storage for gathered Forerunner artifacts. Half of the Janus Key is on board, which Jul 'Mdama forcibly took from Doctor Catherine Halsey before she threw the other half to Gabriel Thorne so 'Mdama would not get it.

From here, the Covenant leader launches his plans and attacks. So far, it has remained elusive, only appearing when it is meant to for purposes of attack and deployment. The UNSC have been unable to track it down or strike back in any significant manner.

Halo Installations: While only a few have been discovered, each ring holds its own artifacts and mysteries. Installation 04 and its replacement were destroyed, and remain unreplaced because Installation 00 was heavily damaged at the center and is unable to make more installations.

Installation 03 had the Composer on it at one point, and was being studied from Ivanoff Station, but when the crew of the station was Composed, it remained untouched. So far, due to other priorities, a replacement crew has not been sent.

Somewhere in the galaxy, the Greater Ark remains. It cannot replace Installation 04 because it was made for the construction of larger rings. However, it has not been discovered by humanity, and remains dormant.

Important NPC's

While every canon character alive up to the point of Spartan Ops Episode 10 exists in this RPG, a few major characters are important to the plot and are above average in terms of skill and power to begin with. While all characters on this list receive a boost, some are much weaker or stronger than others. They are not all equally powerful. A buffed normal human would naturally be weaker than a buffed Spartan or Elite.

Important NPC's are not always RP'd, only coming in for interaction, plot, and combat. Continuously interacting with one can prevent it from disappearing. When an Important NPC leaves an area and becomes inactive, they could pop up anywhere next time they are seen, with an explanation, of course.

An Important NPC does not have a loadout. If they walk into an area spontaneously, they could have any weapon. If they have not disappeared into inactivity, they will, of course, have whatever weapons they were last seen with.

Like the major locations, characters can be added or removed.

[color=#006400;]Name: John-117 (Master Chief)[/color]

[color=#006400;]Species/Type: Spartan-II[/color]

[color=#006400;]Gender: Male[/color]

[color=#006400;]Rank: Master Chief Petty Officer[/color]

[color=#006400;]Appearance: Now that he has returned to the UNSC, Master Chief wears the Mjolnir Mark VII armor. His appearance is much the same, though now his new suit does not have the various damaged areas and scars his Mark VI suit did. His armor was slightly customized to be like an upgraded version of his old armor, with more ease of movement. It conforms more to the shape of his body, though the size of his silhouette is nearly unchanged because the armor is more dense. The reactive layer and bodysuit underneath supply just enough extra augmentation to allow him to lose no mobility, speed, or agility even with the thicker armor.[/color]

[color=#006400;]Personality: Master Chief is the ultimate soldier, through and through. He always keeps his focus on the task at hand, and keeps a calm head nearly constantly. Few things ever truly shock him, and if they do, he doesn't show it. He speaks only when he needs to, and only as loudly as he needs to. When in combat, he will usually try to avoid being distracted or shocked, maintaining constant focus.[/color]

[color=#006400;]He may come across as emotionless and cold, but in truth, he cares deeply for his comrades. When someone he knows personally is killed or hurt, he will quickly react accordingly. Sometimes he views teammates, like Marines, as a liability, but he always does his best to protect them, even if he refuses to lose his cool and his focus if they are slaughtered. [/color]

[color=#006400;]Normally, he will tolerate obnoxious superior officers, but if he really knows that the orders he is being given would result in failure, he will disobey them and do what he thinks is right.[/color]

[color=#006400;]Skills: Due to his Spartan-II training from childhood and his years of experience, Master Chief is skilled in almost any combat situation, able to use any weapon or vehicle effectively. He is fairly balanced in all fields of combat, with no particular specialty. He is not the fastest, strongest, or smartest of the Spartans, but he is a natural leader and protector. However, he has nearly no skills unrelated to combat as[/color] [color=#006400;]a side effect.[/color]

[color=#006400;]Backstory: After the events of Halo 4, Chief became much more silent as a result of losing Cortana. He is now showing signs of depression, and has a much harder time keeping his emotions in. He has been on the Infinity, receiving new armor, medical treatment and examinations, and a few drills. He spends most of his time alone, with food and water supplied to him as per UNSC regulations. He waits for the day he is once again needed, and with the escalating state of things, that day may be coming soon.[/color]

[color=#8b4513;]Personality: The Arbiter is one of the most reasonable Elites. His idea of Sangheili honor is to fight for the right cause, and to fight with skill, strength, and wisdom. Being an Elite, he naturally will get angry faster than a human, but compared to most other Elites he is extremely calm.[/color]

[color=#8b4513;]He keeps his pride in being an Elite, but he does not let this impede his judgement. He will accept aid when he needs it, form truces and alliances when appropriate, and actually respects many members of other species. [/color]

[color=#8b4513;]He also tends to state his thoughts and opinions vaguely, if at all.[/color]

[color=#8b4513;]Skills: Like Master Chief, the Arbiter can perform in most combat situations, but he has a preference for close combat and semi-sniping. Standing at average size for an Elite, he is by no means brutish or a walking tank, instead relying on skill and precision to win in melee duels. With an Energy Sword, he is a master.[/color]

[color=#8b4513;]His favorite firearm is the Covenant Carbine, which he can use to easily deal headshots. In close combat, he can aim it well enough to defeat an enemy with an automatic weapon. On occasion, he will snipe, but only if there are too many enemies to take head-on. When he clears out enough enemies, he tends to follow up by charging in and finishing the rest.[/color]

[color=#8b4513;]Backstory: After the events of Halo 3, the Arbiter returned home to convince the rest of the Elites to make peace with humanity. Some agreed, most did not. Multiple neo-Covenant groups were formed, notably Jul 'Mdama's faction. He has fought long and hard to keep them at bay, both on the battlefield and at the political arena. Though he has been able to prevent physical defeat, so far none of the remnant groups have expressed any interest in peace or surrender. He has dropped out of touch with the UNSC for this reason, only occasionally receiving information on the outside world from his troops. He may soon have to make an important decision: Protect his home, or help protect the galaxy.[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9;]Name: Rtas 'Vadum[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9;]Species/Type: Sangheili[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9;]Gender: Male[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9;]Rank: Special Operations Commander of the Sanghelios Alliance, Shipmaster[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9;]Appearance: [/color][color=#a9a9a9;]This[/color][color=#a9a9a9;], basically. He wears a white variant of Elite armor, with green lights on it. Of note is the fact that the his left mandibles are broken off.[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9;]Personality: Rtas 'Vadum is a strong leader, caring greatly for all his troops, even the lowliest ones. While he can get angry quickly, he can also be reasoned with by people he has respect for. [/color]

[color=#a9a9a9;]While initially dismissive, formal, or commanding towards others, he will come to respect anyone who proves their courage. He will still be willing to argue against these people if he believes they are wrong, but he will also take what they say into account and even change his opinion or decision.[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9;]His Sangheili pride is strong, and he has no fear. Against overwhelming odds, he keeps his nerve and pushes through the best he can, to win or to die in order to help his allies.[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9;]Skills: Rtas 'Vadum is an excellent commander and tactician, both in ship combat and on the ground. While he does not engage in close combat much, instead leading the fleet, he keeps his skills sharp, training when not in battle. With an Energy Sword, his skills match or surpass the Arbiter's, though with a firearm his skills are just good enough to fight properly.[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9;]Backstory: After bringing the Arbiter to Sanghelios, he aided him in convincing the Elites to make peace with humanity. He helped, but was not enough to convince the majority. While the Arbiter handled the ground conflicts, he took up the naval battles, fighting in space on his ships. Despite the fact that he is hard-pressed to hold the line and counterattack for the sake of crippling the enemy forces, if the Arbiter were to give the command, he would be ready to divert his attention to other matters...[/color]

[color=#000080;]Personality: Jul 'Mdama is a fierce leader, who hungers for power and revenge. His wife, Raia, had been killed in a battle after he sided against the Arbiter's forces and the UNSC, giving him an immense hatred of everyone he fights against.[/color]

[color=#000080;]He is an expert tactician and fighter, instilling fear in his subordinates and making the most of his resources to fight for the power to truly win: the power of the Forerunners.[/color]

[color=#000080;]As his ultimate revenge, he wishes to gain the Forerunner artifacts that will increase his military might, and use it to conquer the galaxy, rebuilding and expanding the old Covenant Empire.[/color]

[color=#000080;]Like many Elites, he is quick to anger. When angered, he is brutal in battle, though he will spare the life of an enemy if there is something to be gained from it. Even so, when he was deceived by Doctor Halsey, he amputated most of her left arm with an Energy Sword as punishment, leaving the wounded section on despite the fact that he could get her medical treatment.[/color]

[color=#000080;]Unlike most Elites, he is deceptive and manipulative, using advantageous positions and resources along with his ability to inspire fear in others in order to get what he wants. He does not place much stock in honor, doing whatever is necessary to win. His pride, however, is strong, and he will become vicious and enraged if he is disrespected.[/color]

[color=#000080;]Skills: Though his combat skills have not been displayed in canon media, here, he is perhaps the most powerful Elite alive. His strength, speed, and skill are unmatched, and with an Energy Sword, he could easily take on a squad of Spartans alone. He can wield any weapon, and has basically balanced skills with firearms: He's ridiculously good with them. His aim is near-perfect, and he only misses if his enemy dodges a slow-moving projectile or gets to cover while he fires the last shot in a series. [/color]

[color=#000080;]When commanding a fleet, he can make the right calculations and maneuvers to match Rtas 'Vadum's sheer genius and daring. [/color]

[color=#000080;]He excels in tracking down locations, objects, and people, putting this skill to use frequently in order to gain victories and power.[/color]

[color=#000080;]Perhaps the only thing his is not extraordinary in is stealth, where he is average.[/color]

[color=#000080;]Backstory: Jul 'Mdama was opposed to the alliance with humanity from the start, though at first, he did not take any action for the sake of keeping his family safe and staying cautious. When the war broke out, he sided with the Servants of Abiding Truth, a Covenant remnant group under the leadership of Avu Med 'Telcam. From there, he got many supplies, until his family was killed and he discovered that 'Telcam was dealing with humans to get supplies and weapons. Enraged, he gained a following and left the Servants. He took his fleet with him, gained numbers over the four-year period, and started the Storm Covenant, the most prominent and powerful of the remnant groups, and the only one the UNSC has great trouble with.[/color]

[color=#000080;]After the events of Halo 4, his goal is at hand. The Janus Key will give him exactly what he needs to achieve his goal, and he will stop at nothing to obtain it. His forces attack the UNSC Infinity, while gaining footholds in other areas as a failsafe. Slowly, he is beginning to dominate and close in on his foes.[/color]

Not something I can see. Low population levels, just got out of a major war and, last I checked, had to deal with a bunch of innie worlds that had cut themselves off from it. It'll be a power, but the board is more or less even on that front.

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I believe you find life such a problem because you think there are the good people and the bad people. You are wrong, of course. There are, always and only, the bad people, but some of them are on opposite sides.

As of The Thursday War, the UNSC was by far the most powerful force in the galaxy.

Last I checked their population was in the millions.

......Yeah.

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I believe you find life such a problem because you think there are the good people and the bad people. You are wrong, of course. There are, always and only, the bad people, but some of them are on opposite sides.

The Covenant races were just as devastated, and without central leadership. Plus, the UNSC has the Infinity and access to Huragok, which is something the Sangheili lost at the end of the war. Edit: "It is known that in the 22nd century, was deemed overpopulated, jump-starting the colonization programs of the time. The population of known human settlements preceding the Human-Covenant war would amount to 39 billion humans according to the UNSC and Halsey's records and estimates. After twenty seven years of war with the genocidal Covenant, Cortana's death count of approximately 23 billion." From the Halo wiki.

It'll take more then a nice ship and a helpful species to undo the massive damage done during the war. Most of the Covie infastructure would still be intact, simply because no massive, desvasting battles were fought on their homeworlds and many of their centers of industry. I mean unless their commanders during the civil war were complete fools and decided to take the one-second in the future short view of it.

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I believe you find life such a problem because you think there are the good people and the bad people. You are wrong, of course. There are, always and only, the bad people, but some of them are on opposite sides.

I'm just regurgitating what the books have said.And civil war on Sangheilios, and the near destruction of Vadam Keep, means the aliens aren't doing so great, actually. Misread what you said up there. And in case you missed it, *points up to edit* there should be about 16 billion humans left. Not a huge amount, but still.Humans having near exclusive access to huragok is kind of a huge deal. The sangheili don't really know how to fix things and their fleet has fallen into disrepair.

Their best bet seems to be the Drones techwise. I remember something about them making repairs in Contact: Harvest.

From the wiki, it doesn't sound like they have many of them:

Post-Covenant

After the dissolution of the Covenant, the Huragok dispersed, leaving the Sangheili at a loss without their mastery of technology.[19] In November 2552, Lucy-B091 discovered four Huragok inside Shield World 006 in Onyx.[20] By March 2553 Requires Adjustment and the three Huragok from the shield world were stationed aboard the UNSC Infinity. In the time since arriving on Infinity they created several new Huragok to aid them. The Huragok aboard Infinity made various improvements to the ship, enhancing its slipspace capabilities to be faster and more accurate and reworked the communications system, enabling Infinity to maintain contact from slipspace.[21] Two Huragok were also deployed on Kilo-Five's prowler, UNSC Port Stanley in order to provide it with the same upgrades as Infinity.

Rear Admiral Saeed Shafiq of the UNSC Procurement planned to have Huragok deployed on all UNSC ships by 2557.[22] Despite the obvious advantages, Admiral Margaret Parangosky was apprehensive about Shafiq's proposal due to the risk of the Huragok potentially falling into enemy hands.[23]

Edited by Basilisk, Feb 24 2013 - 01:37 PM.

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I believe you find life such a problem because you think there are the good people and the bad people. You are wrong, of course. There are, always and only, the bad people, but some of them are on opposite sides.

Hmm, okay. Still, they're Onyx huragok, so they're smarter than any of the engineers the Covenant ever had. That's how the Infinity is -so awesome-.I'm just saying that in the aftermath of the human/Covenant war, it doesn't take a whole lot to become the dominant power, because everyone is hurting.

That goes for everyone though. Which is why everything is going to be in bloody chaos. The Innies are still out there, probably with a certain Admiral Cole, Kig-Yar pirates, who knows how many little kaisers trying to set up their own empires...

A bloody mess.

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I believe you find life such a problem because you think there are the good people and the bad people. You are wrong, of course. There are, always and only, the bad people, but some of them are on opposite sides.

Academy City from the Toaru-verse and all the generic espers within don't really get much attention unless they're protagonists, which makes the place ripe for amusing RPing and magical science-powered students killing each other over random things. I mean, with Skill-Out and Anti-Skill and the like, there's a lot of things that one can do in the city.

Thoughts?

That would be really interesting, plus with the different levels it'd make for interesting interactions upon the first meeting.

[font="arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"]As with any RPG, characters are how you enjoy and influence the universe. Some types are unlocked by default, others become available over the course of the story or as reward. Rewards are granted for good RPing capability (My standard isn't very high, don't worry) and most importantly, loyalty to the game. Types that must be unlocked are marked with a *. Don't be discouraged. After 3 weeks or so of playing, unlocking can actually be a ridiculously easy task.[/font]

[font="arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"]Because they are difficult to portray, AI Constructs, Hunters, Engineers, and Drones are unlocked by demonstrating good RP skill. Spartan-II's, Brutes, and Prophets, while easy to portray, are a very rare sight in this time period, and so are unlocked by being loyal to the game. You can make an appeal for an unlock, or you may just be handed one if you catch the attention of staff. The majority of the staff must agree on whether or not an unlock is to be awarded.For Spartan-II's, Brutes, and Prophets, only one of each per player! This counts even if the existing one dies. They are almost never seen, so logically, you can't go around making a horde of them. [/font]Your characters may have ranks where they can command others, but you can't command a ship or be an important general except by unlocked reward. Government positions are staff-only, and all types are available to staff so the plot can actually go forward.You can't make an army of characters to gain an advantage in combat or politics, but you can make a squad.Characters may be killed, but only with the permission of the owner or if staff decide the situation is inescapable. Don't get yourself in a death sentence. If you are a human captured by an enemy, PC or not and have nothing of value to offer that they want, you will most certainly die.

[color=#006400;][font="arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"]Update: Weapon restrictions to species no longer apply, though civilians cannot legally have any weapon other than a Magnum, Drones cannot fly with weapons larger than pistol-size, and a character's skill with a weapon will be reduced if the weapon is not something they can use in the games. All weapons and armor abilities from all games are available, and loadout restrictions no longer apply. So yes, you can have a power weapon as your primary.Anyone who likes this should thank the player base and Halo Reach for convincing me that the old rules on such things are stupid.[/color][/font]

[font="arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"][color=#006400;]Oh, and Spartans get night vision goggles. Few military units come without them.[/color] [/font]All characters must be posted in the topic and approved by staff before they can be used. Characters cannot be made and then used when approved as a deus ex machina to get out of a bad situation, though if it would be realistic and probable, you may have NPC's and pre-made characters save you.

[font="arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"]Civilian: [/font]The most basic type of human, but holds little power. As a civilian, you are not likely to have great strength or skill. You are not permitted to carry a weapon other than a Magnum. If you wish to have the most freedom to interact with others without interruption, a civilian is the best choice, though you cannot ignore attacks in places where you are, or hold much influence in the main plot alone. Side plots can be started, but you will require mass numbers of PC's to get attention. You can be a doctor, on a planet or a ship, but this does not change your combat strength.Marine:The standard UNSC infantry deployed all around the galaxy. Marines can hold various ranks and positions around the Corps. Captains and Admirals, for simplicity's sake, fall into this group as well. You are always deployed with what is available and assigned to you. You have light body armor and the physical strength of a Jackal Heavy. PC Marines are not required to be mindless fools who can't aim or drive, but be realistic. You don't have a Spartan's targeting reticle or radar. You can't use Armor Abilities. You don't regenerate health like Spartans regenerate shielding.ODST:Though ODST's are now rare, most of them having become Spartan-IV's, some of them still exist. For the sake of gameplay realism, you do get regenerating stamina, and all the other stuff in the ODST game. Naturally, people can still sneak up on you due to your lack of a radar, but you have heavier armor than a Marine.You aren't a Spartan, though. You take damage much more easily, and your melee attacks are much weaker. It can take several blows to kill a Jackal. You are deployed with what is available and assigned to you, but you can, unlike Marines, master alien weaponry and use it like a Spartan can, partly thanks to your HUD system. You are allowed to use Armor Abilities now.ODST's do have advantages, such as never confusing enemies and allies due to the way they are highlighted in red and green, respectively, and the fact that they can deploy to ground conflicts through drop pods at nearly any location or moment.Spartan-IV:The product of the latest iteration of the Spartan program. Soldiers who performed well, usually ODST's, were given the option to volunteer for the program. They were then chemically augmented with no risks.Spartan-IV's are commonly found on UNSC ships, but are powerful. They have 80% the sheer physical output of any Spartan-II, and the full advantage afforded by the armor. You can pick a loadout much in the same manner as Halo 4. You do not get an AI companion, but with a good strategy much like in the real game, you can take on entire NPC squads on your own.Due to the UNSC supply of captured Covenant and Promethean weapons for study and use, you can use these in your loadout. You can use any Spartan armor that has appeared basically anywhere. Armor Abilities from both Reach and 4 are available, as are the Equipment from Halo 3. Weapons from any game are allowed, but will follow their Reach portrayal unless shown only in a different game, in which case that game is to be the standard for the weapon's power and realism.

[font="arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"]You do not have the training or skill of a Spartan-II, though, so play realistically. Take emotions and distractions into account. Don't aim flawlessly, even if you can do it in the real game.[/font]

[font="arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"]Spartan-III: These supersoldiers were abducted as children and put through the Spartan program, like the II's, but they were meant to be a cheaper and more numerous group. For this reason, they have much more varied ages, heights, and abilities.[/font]

[font="arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"]Their emotions are suppressed a little, but nowhere near the level of a Spartan-II. They have an equally strong moral sense with the Spartan-II's. Unlike the II's and IV's, most Spartan-III's back in the time they were most frequently seen wore unshielded but Active Camo-capable SPI armor. However, now, following the example of Noble Team and the new rules laid out by the Spartan-IV program, most have upgraded to Mjolnir armor.[/font]

[font="arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"]They are generally as skilled and powerful as a Spartan-IV, though they are much more disciplined and professional. Some have lingering depression or anxiety about their pasts, due to being less emotionally suppressed than the II's. [/font]

[font="arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"]You follow the standard Spartan loadout system, like the IV's. [/font]Spartan-II*:The most powerful humans in existence. A handful of Spartan-II's survived to the present day in the same way Master Chief did: cryo-sleep. They are rare and have exceptional skill.Their emotions are generally suppressed, but they have a strong moral sense instilled by training under certain officials. They have incredible strength, speed, and agility. Due to their augmentations being applied through surgery, their perfect genes, and the fact that they were augmented in childhood, they have 125% the sheer physical capability of a Spartan-IV.You get the combat skills of a pro when playing as a Spartan-II. However, the mind of a Spartan-II is not an easy one to portray in text, and to justify most actions from a logical standpoint, your skill in doing this is critical to success. You follow the standard Spartan loadout system, like the IV's.

[font="arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"]"[/font]Smart"AI Construct*:"Smart"AI's are fully sentient computer programs with all the intelligence and emotional range of a human. They have personalities, which vary because they are made from brain scans of real people. They don't take sensory input the way humans do, though. Instead, they scan information around them constantly, and process thoughts and data at speeds beyond any non-sentient supercomputer. Each AI has a level of jealousy, conscious or subconscious, for the humans around them, who can"really"experience the universe. They have directives, however, which their free thoughts cannot always go against, such as aiding humans, keeping a ship on course properly, and various other tasks and protocols. These factors contribute to many character opportunities, but can also make an AI hard to portray.

[font="arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"]After 7 years, AI's begin to deteriorate, where they divide into multiple personalities and become unstable, slowing them at some tasks but actually making them more sentient. They finally break from the stress of all the personalities and thoughts that they die. This is called Rampancy.[/font]

[font="arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"]If an AI were to gain access to a Forerunner system that manipulates hardlight, they could actually turn their holographic avatar life-sized and solid, which would give them some control over their body structure and extreme strength.[/font]

[font="arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"]As an AI, you must stay on a UNSC ship, which is either designed by staff or by you, then approved by staff. The staff responsible for helping you in this regard will RP the captain and crew of this ship. If you wish to get off the ship and travel with a Spartan-II, it must be by Cole Protocol, and you can't own the Spartan who is your partner. You also can't attack your own ship using hostile forces in order to escape. This is to encourage realism, because few Spartans actually ended up with AI's.[/font]

[font="arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"]In terms of combat, you're an AI in a chip with a hologram for a body. Good luck even touching the gun.[/font]

[font="arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"] [/font]Sangheili:Sangheili, or Elites, are always in the military unless they are female. Over the years, they have lost much of their obsession with honor, though they all still have some of it. They have pride in their species, culture, and strength, though many have come to respect other species, especially humans.Elites have the strength of Spartan-IV's, and come in different ranks with different strength levels.

[font="arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"] [/font]They have all the HUD capabilities of a Spartan-II, which is explained in RPG canon as contact lenses because they have no actual visors unless they are Rangers. You can wield any weapon, much like a Spartan or ODST, but you must always start with a Covenant weapon when deployed. You have the cognitive capability of a human.

[font="arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"]Elites following Jul 'Mdama come in the Halo 4[/font]ranks, while Elites following the Arbiter come in the Halo Reachranks, except the Arbiter's Zealots are now called Ultimates. The reason for the term"Ultimate"is because Zealot is no longer applicable to a faction that does not follow a religion.Unggoy:Unggoy, or Grunts, are usually weak and cowardly. They are small and typically start with Plasma Pistols, Needlers, and Fuel Rod Cannons. They can, however, use any weapon that isn't too heavy for them. Grunt society is usually close-knit, as a weak species must stay very close to survive. They get no HUD, and so it is easy to sneak up on them.No matter where they are, or what their alignment is, Grunts have almost no say in politics. They have the cognitive capability of a human, though much less willpower. If under pressure, you will flee or give in 6 out of 10 times. However, Grunts are vicious when given the chance or provoked enough, and under some circumstances can kill stronger enemies. Grunts generally dislike Jackals because they believe the Jackals aren't really that much better than they are, and that their ranks are closer than most would think.

[font="arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"]Grunts breathe methane from the tanks on their backs, which pump the gas to them through respiratory tubes, mouthplates, or helmets. If these or the tanks are broken or removed, the Grunt will begin to suffocate and die. However, this is not an easy feat, because they are no more vulnerable to gunfire than the rest of the Grunt.[/font]

[font="arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"]Oddly, Grunts are not very well suited to their homeworld. It's frigid to the point of Grunts frequently getting frostbite, and the food is so scarce that some Grunts had to resort to geronticide to preserve their species. One could even say that the Covenant saved them from slowly and painfully fading away into extinction.[/font]

[font="arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"]Grunts following Jul 'Mdama come in theMinor, Ranger, Imperial, and Heavy[/font]ranks, while Grunts following the Arbiter come in theMinor, Major, Special Operations, and Heavyranks. Because of this, the Arbiter's forces do not have Grunts that can operate in space.Kig-yar:Kig-yar, or Jackals, are very much like an average human, except for their appearance. They have heightened sight, hearing, and smell, along with the ability to feel most people sneaking up on them. You will get to aim extremely well as a Jackal.Jackal society is mostly built around profit, though the Jackals serving Jul 'Mdama believe in the Covenant religion. For this reason, most rogues and pirates will be of this species. Jackals have no say in politics except among themselves, and while most of them are fighters, some are merchants. Jackals tend to push Grunts around to exercise the little authority they have, which has led to a rivalry of sorts between the two species.Jackals have about the physical strength of a human. When wielding pistol-size weapons, they can use their Point Defense Gauntlets to generate their circular energy shields. They can wield any weapon that isn't too heavy for them, but anything bigger than a sidearm will result in a lack of shield.

[font="arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"]Jackals following Jul 'Mdama come in theMinor, Ranger, Sniper, and Heavy[/font]ranks, while Jackals following the Arbiter come in theMinor, Major, and Sniperranks.

[font="arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"]Skirmishers, a subspecies of Kig-Yar, have insanely great jumping abilities and running speed, though they rarely use shields. If they do, they have two small energy shields, one on each forearm big enough to cover said forearm, and can wield whatever weapons they wish to regardless of these shields. [/font]Mgalekgolo*:Mgalekgolo, or Hunters, look solid to an outsider from a distance, but are really made of thousands of Lekgolo worms bound together by flesh, muscles, and neurons. Fairly early on in their growth cycles, Hunters grow so big that they must split in half, with each half now bearing six spikes on its back. These halves are referred to as"bond brothers"and can sense each others' presence, injury, or death. If a Hunter witnesses its brother's death, it will become enraged towards the one responsible. The mind of a Hunter is complex, because it is practically a walking democracy. The communication between the worms takes place at an extremely fast rate, though trillions of different thoughts pass through a Hunter's collective mind in any given second.Hunters communicate by vibrating their worms, making it very difficult for other species to understand them. As a result of the Covenant, however, most Hunters will understand and respond to Sangheili or English, with Sangheili being much more dominant. For other species to understand them, a translation device is needed.As a Hunter, you will be extremely strong and heavily armored. You always have an arm-mounted Fuel Rod Cannon, and can't use any other weapon. A Hunter's shield will take no damage from any conventional weaponry, which basically means if you can use it, it won't work. Hunters do have several weaknesses, though, such as their slow movement speed and attacks. They also tend to have their thoughts clouded by rage and confusion when on the battlefield, despite the fact that they have much finer hobbies such as reading and poetry in their spare time. Of note is the glaring weak spot on each Hunter's back.Hunters are also unable to drive, though Lekgolo worms in a small cluster can enter the core of a Scarab and operate it. (Scarabs are not to be used frequently, and are only available by staff permission, which you can ask for. Staff are also expected to refrain from excessive Scarabs.) Hunters have no actual hands, though they can clumsily use the claws on their Fuel Rod Cannons to press, poke, and grasp things.Hunters that have bond brothers can continue to grow to ridiculous sizes by gathering more Lekgolo, but this is rare and puts a likely suicidal strain on each individual worm. This can be done in-game, but for the sake of fairness, each Hunter supplying Lekgolo must be provided by a different player, and no two Hunters owned by the same player may take part. The players must also decide how this"Super Hunter"is to be RP'd.Jiralhanae*:Jiralhanae, or Brutes, take little part in the conflicts of the present day, instead traveling alone or fighting among themselves on their home planet, Doisac. After the original Covenant Empire was broken, the remaining Brutes were exiled to their home planet with few ways of escape. As a result, they are rarely seen around the galaxy. If you wish to play as a Brute, provide a good reason for why you aren't stuck on that smelly planet.

[font="arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"]The Covenant remnant groups that have sprung up have been led by Elites, so Brutes are not included in their ranks. Brutes and Elites have a deep hatred of each other, because of the Elites' attitudes of superiority and the Brutes' savage ways. [/font]The advantages of being a Brute allow you to be quite the damage sponge, and physically stronger than an Elite, but not as much as a Hunter. Likewise, they are slow, but faster than Hunters. Brutes are not very intelligent, though, and can be fooled or baited easily.Brutes do have the mental capacity to increase their technological level, but they almost never advance significantly, because the technology is always used for wars until the technology is destroyed. Then, they must start again. The cycle has been somewhat broken and/or altered because of the fact that they managed to keep some of their Power Armor, which has a strong but non-rechargeable shield that is highly vulnerable to Plasma Pistol overcharges, and their Covenant-issued weaponry.Brutes live together in packs, or clans, which care for their members to the point of becoming enraged much like Hunters when members are killed. The exception to this is when a member challenges the pack's Chieftain to a mortal duel, which results in the victor being Chieftain. General society matters little to Brutes outside of packs, but within them, rank is measured by success on and off the battlefield.Huragok*:Huragok, or Engineers, are one of the more unusual species. They're an artificial species created by the Forerunners. By nature, Huragok are peaceful, and have an urge to fix things. They can understand almost any form of technology, especially Forerunner technology, and fix it easily. Originally, the Covenant kept them around because of their usefulness, but they are a rare sight now, and most are on the UNSC Infinity, keeping it in good shape.

[font="arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"]Huragok don't have an actual society, but they can communicate with other beings using symbols. To anyone who doesn't understand the symbols, though, they can be harder to understand than Hunters.[/font]

[font="arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"]A threatened Huragok will swell up and produce an odd sound like a rattlesnake, and sometimes will explode. Aside from that, they have no real method of self-defense, and can easily be killed. When playing as a Huragok, this can be a disadvantage, because you have no excuse to survive...well, anything. You will not be able to actually drive vehicles even if you do fix them, and most certainly won't be able to fight.[/font]

[font="arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"]On the other hand, Huragok can be a fun experience to play as, with their quirks and personalities. Many times, a Huragok will befriend a member of any other species, and fix their things more often than other things, even going so far as to try to protect them until death. A Huragok holds great potential for a character, provided it is never shot. Ever. That includes Grunts. Watch yourselves, seriously.[/font]

[font="arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"]Huragok manipulate things with their tentacles, and move around with gas bladders that allow them to float and breathe. Because of this, they aren't very fast, and when handling things that aren't technology, are extremely weak and clumsy. [/font]Yanme'e*:Yanme'e, or Drones, are yet another strange species. They follow a standard insectoid pattern of behavior, though they are much more intelligent from a technological standpoint. They follow a hive mind society revolving around a queen, which lays eggs and mates with random males.

[font="arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"]With the collapse of the original Covenant, Drones now live alone in hives on their home planet. Males are wingless, and as a result are mute, since Drones communicate with their wings. All they do is mate with the queen, help her, and carry her around on foot because she is too large and heavy at most times to move on her own. All Drones seen flying around and fighting are female.[/font]

[font="arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"]Certain Drones have mental problems that prevent them from joining and interacting in the hive mind. These Drones have some individuality, but they are savage and violent at times. These are the Drones you will be playing as, since any other Drones would be constantly trapped within their own instincts and compulsions, endlessly and repetitively slaving away for their hives and queens. These Drones are called Unmutuals.[/font]

[font="arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"]Unmutuals are rare, but can be found in various places. Some manage to escape their planet by some means, others are kept as slaves. They are lonely and confused, but are still sentient, which provides good character opportunities. Like Brutes, you will need an explanation for why they're anywhere near anything of relevance in this game. To communicate, you will have the same complications as a Hunter, because you also use vibration to speak.[/font]

[font="arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"]In combat, Drones must wield small weapons to fly. While they were deployed under the Covenant, they held Plasma Pistols, which they could not overcharge and Needlers. Now, due to the fact that all Drones seen outside of their hive systems and home planet are Unmutuals, they take whatever weapons they can, but cannot fly with large weapons. This means the only weapons they gain access to that they did not have before are Magnums and Boltshots. Drones do not actually have a faction now, so unless they join a group, they will almost never have ammo. A Drone can use any weapon, but only the four weapons mentioned here are light enough for them to fly.[/font]

[font="arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"]Drones can be shredded apart by an Assault Rifle, but they are rarely within range. You will have to watch out for precision rifles when playing as a Drone, because you will literally die in one or two hits. So, like the Huragok, Drones are much more suited for character depth and development than combat, and so will hold little influence in the main plot unless you, as the players, figure out a really good way to bring them up to strength.[/font]

[font="arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"]San-Shyuum*: [/font]San-Shyumm, once known as Prophets, are the rarest species anyone could ever play as. After the Flood infection of High Charity and the collapse of the original Covenant, the remaining Prophets, who numbered less than a thousand, went into hiding on their homeworld.

[font="arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"]Prophets are weak and frail, but also intelligent and devious. Their arm strength is relatively high if used in short bursts, to the point that a Prophet can fire a Brute Spiker one-handed, but their lives of physical inactivity leave even the few young, [/font]"fit"Prophets withered. They move around using anti-gravity belts, and the higher-ranking ones use anti-gravity thrones. Though they can walk, they are slow and easily exhausted when doing so.

[font="arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"]Prophet society has broken down. They are now little more than a crowd, a large gang, scheming and stewing in rage on their own planet. They try to make use of what they can, though it is little. They can understand some Forerunner technology, and have the highest understanding of Covenant technology, which works to their benefit in terms of survival. They did, after all, manage to keep some items.[/font]

[font="arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"]No one really knows what the Prophets are up to...though if I were you, I'd assume they're plotting highly dangerous revenge.[/font]

[font="arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"](Prophets are to be a late-game loyalty unlock, only available after Prophet NPC's are introduced.)[/font]

[font="'courier new', courier, monospace;"]How exactly does a wounded and broken UNSC build back up so quickly? It was pretty clear from the games and EU before Halo 4 that humanity was in terrible shape. Rebellions hadn't stopped, worlds were breaking away, and most of the UNSC fleet had been utterly destroyed. Nevermind that Earth itself was partially glassed. That's kinda a big deal. The UNSC rebuilding itself in four years is akin to ye olde NATO and Warsaw Pact duking it out, losing most of their militaries and populations, and then NATO turning around and being able to take over the world.[/font]

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"In short, my English Lit friend, living in a mental world of absolute rights and wrongs, may be imagining that because all theories are wrong, the earth may be thought spherical now, but cubical next century, and a hollow icosahedron the next, and a doughnut shape the one after." -Isaac Asimov, responding to a letter he had received saying that scientific certainty was false, The Relativity of Wrong

[font="'courier new', courier, monospace;"]Well, the Covenant is a bunch of utter idiots who can't think without someone else telling them to so I guess that the destruction of their caste system would be a major blow, but still. I can't see the UNSC as anything but a de jure power. They might be the biggest of the wounded animals, but they're still plenty wounded. While they might be a galactic superpower, their capability to actually do stuff isn't quite on par with that yet.[/font]

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"In short, my English Lit friend, living in a mental world of absolute rights and wrongs, may be imagining that because all theories are wrong, the earth may be thought spherical now, but cubical next century, and a hollow icosahedron the next, and a doughnut shape the one after." -Isaac Asimov, responding to a letter he had received saying that scientific certainty was false, The Relativity of Wrong

The fact your only missing one leg when everyone else is missing a leg and an arm doesn't change the fact your missing a freakin leg.

In my view at least.

Edited by Basilisk, Feb 25 2013 - 01:28 PM.

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I believe you find life such a problem because you think there are the good people and the bad people. You are wrong, of course. There are, always and only, the bad people, but some of them are on opposite sides.

[font="'courier new', courier, monospace;"]How exactly does a wounded and broken UNSC build back up so quickly? It was pretty clear from the games and EU before Halo 4 that humanity was in terrible shape. Rebellions hadn't stopped, worlds were breaking away, and most of the UNSC fleet had been utterly destroyed. Nevermind that Earth itself was partially glassed. That's kinda a big deal. The UNSC rebuilding itself in four years is akin to ye olde NATO and Warsaw Pact duking it out, losing most of their militaries and populations, and then NATO turning around and being able to take over the world.[/font]

I must say, I tend to agree with this. If the UNSC was in a state wherein they could get themselves organized and even remotely rebuilt in four years, they wouldn't have been in such bad shape near the end of the war. Reach was a major center of activity, and it was glassed. Most of the outer worlds were glassed, IIRC. And Earth itself was partially glassed. The Covenant didn't just attack a few locations, they utterly decimated locations that were canonically confirmed to be critical to the UNSC's successful operation.

On a less disputed note, TNG, I would recommend that you not use video game comparisons for abstract concepts. Seeing as things like difficulty, realism, and power are very variable, not to mention dependent in some cases on the player, and don't actually give a good idea of the concept you're trying to express. Especially if someone who has only casually played the Halo games tries to understand it. Along a similar line, you seem to be trying to fit things into the games a bit too cleanly. In the process, you're restricting what the player can do. Some of it's minor, but it adds up. Things like being limited to weapons that appeared in the games, even though other types have appeared in other works. It operates on the assumption that they're the only things that exist, even though in today's world alone there are many other variations. I also dislike the limitation of the civilian class. Just because they aren't in the military doesn't mean that they're helpless, or that they have little or no power. In fact, there are civilian jobs in the military, as evidenced by Halsey's involvement. On another note, I take severe issue with the statement that any attempts at killing plot important NPCs will automatically assume stacked odds for the NPC. Any mention of "exceptional luck" automatically has me suspicious, seeing how "exceptional luck" has been used as an excuse by many players and even a few GMs in the past.

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On this eve, the thirtieth anniversary of that first colony, many are left to wonder; is the world fast approaching a breaking point?

I believe you find life such a problem because you think there are the good people and the bad people. You are wrong, of course. There are, always and only, the bad people, but some of them are on opposite sides.

[font="'courier new', courier, monospace;"]I mean, the Covenant might be a bunch of aliens that over the generations got bred to be unable to do basically anything they weren't specifically trained to do, but the strategies employed were far from idiotic. They went to important targets and utterly decimated them. The only reason Earth wasn't completely glassed was because the Prophets were interested in the Ark. By the time the war ended basically all major UNSC targets had been eliminated. [/font]

[font="'courier new', courier, monospace;"]Again. De jure superpower. There's a difference from claiming to be able to do something and actually being able to do it.[/font]

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"In short, my English Lit friend, living in a mental world of absolute rights and wrongs, may be imagining that because all theories are wrong, the earth may be thought spherical now, but cubical next century, and a hollow icosahedron the next, and a doughnut shape the one after." -Isaac Asimov, responding to a letter he had received saying that scientific certainty was false, The Relativity of Wrong

So, I had some spare time on my hands and nothing better to do, so I looked up a detailed timeline of the Human-Covenant War. I have a few pieces I'll be using to illustrate my point, but first of all, this war lasted twenty eight years. Twenty eight years of the Covenant slowly taking the UNSC down, twenty eight years of resources being drained. Now, next, the UNSC was significantly crippled as of halfway through the war. To quote the wiki,

With the majority of the Outer colonies glassed or abandoned, the UNSC faced an economic crisis. Some of their most important agriculture worlds had been destroyed, leading to widespread food shortages.

This was in 2535. This was before things got as bad as they would get before the war ended, in 2553. By 2545, the loss of almost three hundred Spartan IIIs in a single engagement was considered acceptable losses.

Now, here's where things really start to point out why the UNSC literally cannot be in that good of a shape only four years after te war ended.

Towards end of the war in 2552, the Office of Naval Intelligence was resigned to the fact that humanity may only have months left before the Covenant destroyed the remaining Inner colonies and moved on against Earth. To buy time, and perhaps survival, HIGHCOM ordered all available SPARTAN-IIs to return to Reach and leave on Operation: Red Flag, a mission to locate the Covenant homeworld,capture a Prophet and force the Covenant into a cease-fire.

In the very end of the war, the UNSC literally had maybe a few months left before complete and utter defeat. This was before the fall of Reach, a strategically important location. They were down to some Inner Colonies, Reach, and Earth. The rest had fallen to the Covenant. In the very last year of the war, Reach fell and Earth was partially glassed and occupied by the Covenant.

To summarize, a twenty eight year long war in which the UNSC spent most of their time trying to buy some time before falling back again and again. They were quite literally on the brink of total annihilation, with maybe a few months before that outcome. Their agriculture worlds were taken in the middle of the war, and the loss of three hundred Spartans was considered acceptable. They lost every strategic location they had left, and their homeworld was attacked and occupied by enemy forces.

If you see a way that they could have recovered to any extent in only four years, I'm all ears.

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On this eve, the thirtieth anniversary of that first colony, many are left to wonder; is the world fast approaching a breaking point?

The UNSC's position, I think, can best be summed up as: "In the land of the blind, the man who can kinda sorta see if he tries really really hard is king. Kind of."

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I believe you find life such a problem because you think there are the good people and the bad people. You are wrong, of course. There are, always and only, the bad people, but some of them are on opposite sides.

Considering the last book of the Kilo Five trilogy isn't out yet, and that series takes place before Halo 4, there's a lot we don't know. The Thursday War leaves ONI considering poisoning the sangheili food supply, so that could be pretty major.While it may seem far-fetched the UNSC is the top dog, they pretty much state it outright in Halo 4 so I don't know what there is to argue.

[font="'courier new', courier, monospace;"]The fact of the matter is that no one is in a good position, human or xeno, but humanity is still majorly crippled. Again, de jure, not de facto. If you're missing a leg but not an arm, you're still missing your bloody leg.[/font]

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"In short, my English Lit friend, living in a mental world of absolute rights and wrongs, may be imagining that because all theories are wrong, the earth may be thought spherical now, but cubical next century, and a hollow icosahedron the next, and a doughnut shape the one after." -Isaac Asimov, responding to a letter he had received saying that scientific certainty was false, The Relativity of Wrong

I haven't quite finished Halo 4, but correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think they specify that the UNSC has completely rebuilt itself. To use the comparison made by Humva and Basilisk, being on top of the pack in a galaxy all but torn apart by war doesn't mean a whole lot. Considering the very sorry state of the remaining Covenant races, the UNSC could very well be more equipped than them.

Further, while it doesn't mean much with regards to Halo 4 itself, this is a fan based game. Which means it will invariably deviate from canon, which also means that we don't actually have to just put up with oversights made by the creative team. They can be corrected.

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On this eve, the thirtieth anniversary of that first colony, many are left to wonder; is the world fast approaching a breaking point?

Saying your the super power in the galaxy created by the Covie-UNSC war is a bit like saying you only got shot twice while charging across a battlefield.

Edited by Basilisk, Feb 25 2013 - 06:53 PM.

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I believe you find life such a problem because you think there are the good people and the bad people. You are wrong, of course. There are, always and only, the bad people, but some of them are on opposite sides.

The UNSC is not 100% fixed up. Not at all. But due to ONI messing up internal diplomacy between other species, and the fact that they're the only faction to stay united so far (And because of other stuff, the UNSC may actually fragment like the Covenant did, over the course of the game) means that they are, out of the other factions, the strongest.

The arm and leg analogy is good.

The rest are missing an arm and a leg. The UNSC is missing a leg.

Halo 4 did outright state the UNSC were the strongest faction now, but it didn't say they were the ultimate force. They still have to fight day and night to keep Jul 'Mdama's Covenant remnant from tearing them apart. It's like two towers, each made of 1000 bricks, except the UNSC is the tower with 1001.

But when you are injured, in a universe of injured people, you aren't so weak after all.

Now, as for how combat is in the games, I see too many exaggerated, unrealistic Halo videos. Spartans running straight at a group of enemies, flipping over them, or going all "kung-fu" on dozens of Elites. Yes, you can kick. No, you can't put a hand on the ground, spin to kick everyone, then jump up on that hand and land with two Assault Rifles taken out and fire them both at once. No, you can't kill a Promethean Knight with a Magnum to the face when it is shielded and didn't even open its helmet. (Palmer.)

It's that kind of stuff, which is why I used the games as a benchmark.

As for Important NPC's, they're important for a reason. People would troll endlessly and try to mess with the plot. They're only killable because in some cases they will openly lead the charge in battle. If Jul 'Mdama personally comes on board the Infinity and kills loads of people? Have at him, provided you have 6 Spartans or so. It's possible. Jul 'Mdama is walking around on a planet and you try to assassinate him? He will flip you over without even looking as soon as you touch him, slam you down, and assassinate you from the front.

They're only killable at all because it would be cheap to have them simply run in and take a rocket to the face, and yet still manage to kill a legion of PC's. They're not quite Heuani, but they're about half that.

And remember, different NPC's play differently. If you met a Forerunner, expect him to endlessly perform ridiculous feats that no one else can do. If you meet a Spartan like Chief or Palmer? Expect them to play like a PC, except with the shielding and damage the player does on Easy. It's all scaled this way for a reason.

Well, I don't know anything about fallout, but I think you can find some people.

Oh, and in response to the complaint about weapon choices: I meant those are what you can enter battle with. Custom weapons, vehicles, Armor Abilities, etc, must be staff-approved, and if approved become available to other players. (Though if you want, they can be faction-specific.)

TNG, you misunderstand.Obviously plot important NPCs are difficult to kill. They have the best stuff, and let's face it, they got where they are for a reason. But my point is that by making an NPC significantly harder to kill, you run the risk of railroading the plot. To use a more recent example, a staff NPC had been more or less brought dead to rights. Abilities disabled, more or less captured, fired at repeatedly at point blank range.The GM, in his infinite wisdom, decided to ignore that because he wanted the NPC alive. When you rely too much on certain NPCs for things, you run the risk of falling into that pattern. Certain NPCs should be tough to kill, but they shouldn't be relied upon. To continue using Heuani as an example, he's an NPC that literally can't die because he's needed for the plot. That's the type of NPC you want to avoid using.

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On this eve, the thirtieth anniversary of that first colony, many are left to wonder; is the world fast approaching a breaking point?

The power of these important NPC's is a little buffed, but it mainly revolves around their tendency to not get into death sentences. They escape from almost anything, aim perfectly, and dodge 80% of attacks or at least get to cover before more can strike, but they won't take Fuel Rods to the face and survive.

Now if the Didact were to appear, he would most certainly take Incineration Cannons to the face and survive, but that's because he's powerful even for a Forerunner and the only way to even make him dizzy was to stuff a Pulse Grenade inside his armor. But still, there has to be a valid explanation for everything, and I get that.

And if people really are dead-set on killing 'Mdama, he would definitely die. The Covenant would need a new leader and/or be crippled. If people somehow manage to strike the Didact in his many weak points, as a team, he'd die.

And I will also avoid Nuju-ing in combat. I respect his decision to do some things in the BZPRPG, but there will be no autohitting or autokilling. (That's not to say there will be no instakilling, no one can be hit with an Incineration Cannon and simply say they were alive. The Didact is not a playable character.)

Besides, tracking down and killing plot-important NPCs is a role-playing tradition for a reason. It forces the GM to actually make changes to his plans as things progress and is one way of allowing the players to have real lasting affects on the game. If there's one thing that'll make people lose interest in an RPG it's the feeling that their actions have now affect and everything was completely preplanned.

EDIT: ^Um, yeah, pretty much that. It's best to no keep blatantly overpowered characters around to guide your plot, even if at times it's unavoidable. Heuani is a good example of what not to do.

Ok then. It's settled. I must now make an actual effort to have Important NPC's do stuff to people, and accept the reality that I can't Nuju my way out of plot messes.

No Heuani shenanigans. But remember, if Forerunners show up, it's not Heuani stuff, it's...well, Forerunners. I haven't decided whether they will come in or not.

I can't really be any clearer than I'm trying to be, so I guess the only way to earn the trust of all of you guys is to manage this game properly.

On a brighter note, there will be none of this "Chosen (Insertnumberhere)" stuff. All players and all characters in the right location have full rights to join in the plot and even kill the main antagonist.

I'm not yet sure if Huragok should be playable. If they are, it's an unlockable. Who wants some floating tentacled mech-sacks?

Obviously plot important NPCs are difficult to kill. They have the best stuff, and let's face it, they got where they are for a reason. But my point is that by making an NPC significantly harder to kill, you run the risk of railroading the plot. To use a more recent example, a staff NPC had been more or less brought dead to rights. Abilities disabled, more or less captured, fired at repeatedly at point blank range.

They took from me the satisfaction of the kill.

It was so sad.

Anyway, Halo canon is ridiculously weird and makes no sense. Especially when dealing with biggatons.